I stumbled upon this podcast recently at AuctionWally.com , and finally had time to listen to all his current and past episodes. A very interesting listen to keep you amused as you drive down the highway I must admit.

Whether you are an auctioneer or an auction enthusiast you may find something amusing here.

While looking through my log files today I came across a spike in referrals from an antique industrial equipment enthusiast site called Practical Machinist . While that on it's own is no great reason for a blog post, a thread I found on that site regarding auctions was most informative.

If you were going to an auction sale locally, would you broadcast to fellow enthusiasts the details about the sale which could potentially increase the competition for items that you would want to buy cheap?

It is a very interesting read, and not the usual type of warm fuzzy feelings you usually find at a collectors website.

Be sure to read my comments in the thread, which I feel sums up how the collectors would want to be treated when it's their turn for a sale.

Been meaning to write a post exactly like this for sometime, thanks to Newest On The Net for the post.Without a doubt, my favorite application on my computer is my mozilla Firefox browser. Here are 10 awesome mozilla Firefox tips that I recently discovered. 1. Open a new tab by double clicking on an empty space in the firefox tab bar. This is the coolest firefox tip that I have recently learned. I hated going up to the file menu and clicking on the new tab button. Now I don’t have to!! 2. One of my favorite firefox addons is All-in-One Gestures. This firefox add on allows me to make gestures with my mouse and control my firefox browser. By right clicking my mouse and drag it to the left, I can go back to the last page I was browsing. I can close a tab by right clicking my mouse and moving it down and then to the left. I love how this speeds up my web browsing. 3. For those of you with blogs, I highly recommend installing the Scribe Fire Firefox addon. ScribeFire is a great blog editor that integrates with monzilla firefox. 4. You can go back a page by hitting the “Backspace” key. This is a very convenient way to move back a page. 5. Configure your Firefox addons by going to Tools => Add-ons and then right clicking the firefox addon you want to configure. I did not know that Firefox addons had options you could set. I would like to thank Geekenough.com for this tip!! 6. Did you know that you can tag your firefox bookmarks? Simply go to your firefox bookmarks folder, right click on a bookmark and then go to properties. On the properties page, you can assign a keyword to that bookmark. Then you can go to that bookmark by simply typing that keyword into your address bar. Thanks Lifehack.org!!7. I am sure that many already know this trick, but I recently learned it. You can bookmark a site by hitting “Ctrl + D”. I am a little embarrassed that I did not know this until recently. You will notice that I added this tip to my blog template hoping that people will bookmark Newest on the Net. I would like to thank seologs.com for introducing me to this shortcut.8. Another cool way to bookmark a site is to place your mouse pointer over the page’s favicon, left click and drag it to you bookmarks folder. This is a great tip. Thanks Techlicious.TV!! 9. The Mozilla Firefox website has a great list of all of the keyboard shortcuts for Firefox. Instead of listing filling up this article with keyboard shortcuts, here is the complete list. I would like to thank WrongAdvices.com for leading me to this list. 10. Do you have several sites that you like to have open at all times? Well, Firefox allows you to open multiple home pages at one time when you launch Firefox. This save me a lot of time. To implement this go to Tools => Options => Main. From the Main menu you can ask Firefox to use a bookmark folder as your homepage. Put all of the websites that you want to automatically launch into a special bookmark folder and then select that bookmark folder to be your home page. If you haven’t downloaded the latest mozilla Firefox browser, here is the latest download.[...]

Here is a great post from the Web Publishing Blog I don't know if you need to go to this extreme, but it is interesting.

Of the nearly 500 auctioneers that we work with there are only a selected few that have my cel phone number. And of them, even a smaller number have my programmers phone number. These particular auctioneers give me great feedback, and they will only phone me after hours when it is for a serious problem. For that they get my trust.

Be sure to setup a junk/spam email address to use online. Grab a Hotmail / Google / Yahoo email account or setup a junk@yourauctioncompany.com email address. It will only take your host 2 minutes to setup, so don't let them overcharge you.

By Andrew

I never got around to applying The Four Hour Work Week, but I have followed a few lessons from the book. Most specifically, eliminating distractions and “Become(ing) and Ignoramus.” (page 92)

Step 1 — Create an “personal” e-mail address. Its brand new and no one even knows what it is.

Step 2 — Get a new “personal” phone line / number. Again, its brand new and no one knows it yet.

Step 3 — You have two options, either have an employee become your intermediary to filter out the garbage, or give out this personal contact information to only your most important contacts.

For example, a company that you do 5/6/7 figures of business with a month may qualify as high priority. A company that you used in the past does not. This also means from time to time you may need to create a new “personal” contact system.

Have two sets of business cards. If you go to a conference, give one to the people trying to sell you something. Give a second to the important people you need to contact. If you have met me, you know I do not even give out any business cards. I’ll take yours, and contact you on my own time.

Because my company is very tiny (in employee size) I do not have anyone filter my contact information for me. I am sure there are many people who are pissed that I answered their voice mail 2 months after they left it. Thats ok, because if I spent my time reading through every personal correspondence, there wouldn’t be much business left.

Ironically you will notice I have a personal contact email on this blog (as of the time I write this.) Your contact structure does not have to be limited to two tiers. It can be very beneficial to make it multi-channeled. As the business owner, if might be ok for your press contacts to have direct contact information. Or perhaps there is a more “casual” contact point that you can access after work that you know will never contain urgent news to break you away from family time.

Consider these ideas and build yourself a custom solution, if you haven’t already. As always, these aren’t rules; test things out and figure out what works for you.

Watching the Grey Cup Today (Go Bombers !) and seen a few different commercials using Fast Talkers to squeeze as much info into 30 seconds as possible. Purolator Courier had a great one, and here is an Expedia.ca spot

(PRWEB) November 16, 2007 -- After successfully graduating from the International Sommelier Guild's grueling eighteen month long Sommelier Diploma Program, renowned charity auctioneer Tom DiNardo is the first auctioneer in the United States to become a fully credentialed sommelier. A sommelier is a person with extensive knowledge about oenology and wine and food pairings. "Completing ISG's comprehensive wine education program was far more intense than my meeting the basic requirements in completing my Bachelor of Arts degree" recalls DiNardo. Benefit Auctioneer Tom DiNardo is the first auctioneer in the nation to become a sommelier diplomate.Tom DiNardo grew up in a Sicilian-Irish household in which wine was a part of every dinner. Prior to the founding of DiNardo & Lord Auctioneers in 1993 Tom DiNardo had worked within the wine industry in both California and Washington. "It's only natural that my lifelong passion for wine has carried forward into my auction career. Pursuing my sommelier education has been the ultimate education accomplishment in my auctioneer career path so far," said DiNardo. Unafraid of challenges, Mr. DiNardo has firmly built his nationally recognized fundraising auction firm upon a track record of his achieving many firsts within the benefit auction industry. "I am one of the very few professional auctioneers to date who has pioneered the ultra exclusive niche of charity wine auctions within the United States." Charity wine auctions such as the Naples Winter Wine Festival, Auction Napa Valley and California Winemasters are amongst the top fund-raising auctions events in the nation today. "I was the first charity auctioneer in the country to join the Association of Fundraising Professionals in rallying fellow benefit auctioneers to charge their non-profit clients only a flat fee versus charging them a percentage commission," recounts DiNardo. Charity auctioneer Rowlan Hill of Phoenix, Arizona said, "The results of Tom DiNardo's forward thinking, such as joining AFP and other innovative actions he has chosen, have created many trends that are today being followed by many other successful charity auctioneers." How did your career as a wine auctioneer begin? Tom DiNardo left a sales career in the wine industry to begin a new career in the auction industry in 1993. Mr. DiNardo said he realized early on that the fundraising auction niche was highly competitive. Tom recalls, "I had to find a niche within the auction industry that set me apart from my competition immediately, and charity wine auctions was the answer." Early on in his career Tom DiNardo remembers that there were far more ambivalent people than clients interested in asking him questions about his auction firm's services. "Ultimately I landed my first charity wine auction gig, but I knew that the road was going to be a steep uphill climb without my earning and possessing more wine credentials" says DiNardo. A huge fan of continuing education, Tom DiNardo received his training and designation as a certified appraiser, specializing in wine appraisal, and today he is a master wine appraiser registered with the US Appraisal Foundation. Tom DiNardo further persevered in building his wine auctioneer credentials by becoming a freelance wine writer for esteemed wine magazines such as Wine Enthusiast, Decanter, Santé and Wine Adventure magazines as well as becoming a full time contributor to WineSquire.com and WineandSpiritsJobs.com. Tom DiNardo ascended another career peak becoming a contract auctioneer with ERI's retail wine auction gallery in Chicago. Your credentials as a benefit auctioneer and charity wine auctioneer are impressive! Why did you decide to pursue a sommelier education and diploma? "I wanted to achieve something that no other charity auctioneer had ever done. I wanted to become the b[...]

If you do a lot of reading of news, magazine and blog sites on the Web, chances are you’ve run across the little orange RSS icons. Maybe you even are a pro at using RSS feeds, in which case you can skip this video.

But, if you are still learning how to use RSS feeds, watch this Commoncraft video. It’s a little over 3.5 minutes long, but interesting and informative — and apparently popular, too, with over 160,000 downloads to date.

From the NYTimes.comMINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 21 — In a down real estate market, they came to buy. They came early, they came in numbers and they came with bank checks for $5,000. By 10 a.m. Saturday, more than 700 people filled a hall in the convention center here for what real estate agents say is the largest auction of foreclosed properties ever in Minnesota, with more than 300 houses or apartments for sale in two days. Opening bids ranged from $1,000 — for a three-bedroom house — to $729,000, for a five-bedroom house on 11.9 acres. The crowd was standing-room only, with more waiting to enter. Some were looking for homes, others for investments. “It’s a symptom of the foreclosure crisis,” said Jim Davnie, a Democratic state representative in Minnesota. Mr. Davnie said he had concern that areas already hit by the foreclosure crisis would now be hit by investors buying properties to rent them out, “which makes neighborhoods less stable than owner-occupied housing.”But in the loud, overcrowded hall, the misery of subprime loans, exploding adjustable rate mortgages and slumping sales meant one thing: opportunity.“Who’s got $150,000?” said the auctioneer, Mark Buleziuk, motor-mouthing the sale of a four-bedroom house that he said was worth $234,000. “It’s a buyer’s market,” Mr. Buleziuk urged.The auction, like others that have proliferated around the country this year, tapped the contradictory forces of the current real estate market, in which mass foreclosures and sinking home values, along with predictions of more pain to come, still stoke the urgency to buy right now, before it is too late.“The market’s really low right now, so you can get a good price,” said Lori Crook, a food server at Keys Cafe who said she was looking for a place she could fix up and sell. “Even if you can’t sell it right away, if you just sit on it and sit on it, it will go up.”The auction involved a tiny fraction of foreclosures in the state. Julie Gugin, executive director of the nonprofit Minnesota Homeownership Center, projected statewide foreclosures at 20,000 this year, up from 11,000 last year, based on data from sheriffs’ sales. Representatives from two big lenders that have been hit hard by the collapse of the subprime mortgage market, Countrywide Financial and Bear Stearns, were on hand to provide mortgages — fixed, adjustable, jumbo or interest-only. Both have been criticized for giving loans too freely, leading to a wave of delinquencies and a rush to sell debt securities backed by those loans.Countrywide and an affiliate of Bear Stearns were also among the lenders selling properties at the auction. Both have been hurt by defaults on mortgages. “This is such a stark and dramatic illustration of how serious the problem is,” said Ron Elwood, a lawyer at the Legal Services Advocacy Project, which lobbies in the interest of low-income residents. “The reality is, half the reason 300 homes are being auctioned off is that speculators tried to make a killing and failed to do so.” In Minneapolis, 55 percent of foreclosures this year involved houses not occupied by their owners, according to county records. But instead of alarming buyers about the risks, the auction of so many foreclosures at once was an invitation to speculators, small and large. Some, including Bryan Kihle and Jim Casha, who bought a four-bedroom house for $145,000, bid without seeing the properties. “I just looked at the picture and thought if we got it cheap enough, we could rent it for a year, then sell it when the market goes back up,” said Mr. Kihle, a building contractor. One public interest housing group bought eight properties to restore for low-cost housing.Others just saw a chance to enter the housing market. “It won’t always be low,” said Pearl Dobbins, who said she[...]

A rare 1913 Case Model 30-60 -- one of only five known to exist -- brought a whopping $400,000 at auction in late September. At that price, the antique Case cost more than the most expensive modern tractor currently sold by Case IH.

The $400,000 final bid also stands as the highest price paid for any antique tractor at a public auction, according to Dave Mowitz, editor of the Ageless Iron Almanac and Successful Farming magazine Machinery Editor.

The Case 30-60 was sold during the George Schaaf Truck and Tractor auction held near Frankfort, Illinois. Schaaf had amassed one of the nation's most respected collections of antique tractors and trucks.

Although this massive auction included many rare trucks, it was the tractors that ruled the day. The next four highest priced items were all tractors that included a 1918 Huber Model 35-70 (which sold for $250,0000, a 1918 Advanced-Rumely Oil Pull Model 30-60 ($165,000), a 1923 Avery Model 45-60 ($150,000) and a 1918 Aultman Taylor Model 30-60 ($95,000).

All told, 65 items sold during the Schaaf sale, which was conducted by Aumann Auction of Nokomis, Illinois. Click here for more information about the action.

Antique & collectible ceramics have a secret to tell and Marks4Antiques.com helps users easily decipher those secrets, allowing collectors & consumers to determine their hidden value.San Francisco, California - September 29, 2007 - A typical household in the U.S. has dozens if not hundreds of plates, cups & saucers, vases, bone china, figurines, steins and other ceramic items. Many of these pieces have been passed down through many generations of a family or have been acquired over many years. Vintage ceramics have a story to tell and part of that story is that the value of some of these items is much higher than the owner realizes. To unlock the hidden value of vintage ceramics, the first step is to determine who made the item and when. What most people don't realize is that hidden away on the underside of many vintage porcelain and pottery pieces is a manufacturer's mark that can give insight into who made the piece and in most cases, where and when it was made. A website called Marks4Antiques.com can help users easily decipher the secrets of manufacturers' marks on Porcelain, Pottery or China and vintage ceramic pieces.Many manufacturers' marks on ceramics can be like complex codes and can provide a lot of information. For example, in addition to the name and location of the Porcelain factory or Pottery, some of these marks can give detailed data, which may also include the person that designed or decorated a particular Pottery Vase or a Porcelain Figurine. Also, marks for the same manufacturer can also change over time, so a mark used in the 1800's may be entirely different from a mark used today, by the same maker. Especially for China or Dinnerware, a particular Pattern may also be produced over many years, with earlier pieces having more value than newer pieces with the only visible difference being the maker's marks. With so many issues related to marks, using a reliable source like Marks4Antiques.com is an absolute necessity when trying to determine accurate information about a vintage ceramic.This is particularly helpful for online Sellers and Buyers, for example on eBay. It is estimated that a Seller on eBay has at least a 60% better chance of selling an item successfully if the Item Title and Description include the name of the maker and the period it was made. Since Buyers mainly search by a specific maker's name, having accurate information on a Porcelain or Pottery or China piece, helps eBay to display more relevant results in a more prominent position, and therefore achieve higher prices.The service has been available since 2004 and has received some very complimentary reviews from users."As usual, you are absolutely amazing, from every point of view...! I just can't thank you enough, I wanted to bid on and hopefully win the set as a wedding present, but the intended recipient, a very close friend of mine, is a real Art deco fanatic and so I didn't want to make the mistake of giving her something that was say, early 1950's...Many, many heartfelt thanks again for your help, in this case direct, and many, many times indirect, through your fantastic website..." Ambra--"Your information was extremely helpful and much appreciated. You have eased my mind regarding the age and authenticity of this Meissen piece. I was concerned that it may have been a recent reproduction. I am grateful to have come across your site as it is certainly an asset for antique lovers like myself. Thank you again for the insightful information! Best Regards, ~Martha :)"--"I am just writing to thank you for your reply to the inquiries I recently submitted. I am impressed by the speed with which these inquiries were dealt with, and the information that was supplied is invaluable. I am only a new member a[...]

2007-10-02T09:46:06.649-05:00

(image) The 25th Anniversary of the Auctioneer's Association of Canada's 2007 Convention & All Round World Auction Competition was held in Milton, Ontario on Sept. 27 - 29, 2007. Association President and former champion Michel "Hoss" Bertrand congratulates this year's winner Michael Kelso from Brampton, Ontario.

Runners' up were Bill Warner from Colborne, Ontario taking 2nd place, and Dean Brown in 3rd place from Ohio.Novice champion is Peter Vanderheyden from Ontario.

The 2007 convention offered 2 days of education & seminars and networking among national members followed by the All Round World Championship Auctioneer Competition. The competition was held at Hume's Auction Barn outside Milton, and was followed by a barbecue and barn dance.

For more information on membership benefits and opportunities and the next convention dates and locations visit www.auctioneerscanada.com.

Global Auction Guide Media Group is proud to announce the appointment of Nicole Smallwood as Sales Manager for the Auctioneer Division. Nicole will be tasked with helping new auctioneers to use our Industry leading auction advertising network and getting the most out of their Internet advertising in general.

Nicole comes to Global with an extensive career in the publishing and sales area with an emphasis on Internet marketing.

Nicole will be representing Global Auction Guide Media Group at her first Auctioneers Association of Canada convention in Milton Ontario this weekend (Sept 27 -29 2007) and she is looking forward to meeting many of you for the first time in Milton and answering any questions you may have

Be sure to check out our blog at www.globalauctionblog.com if you are unable to attend as Nicole will also be reporting the results from the World Auctioneering Championships.

Nicole can be reached directly at 888-725-4504

Global Auction Guide Media Group is the Internet's largest auction advertising network with over 50 different websites carrying syndicated auction content which include many newspapers and radio networks. In operation since February 2001, www.globalauctionguide.com has advertised over 40,000 auction events with millions of items for sale at public auction. Global Auction Guide Media Group is owned by Dwayne and Chris Leslie and have corporate headquarters located near Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada

(image) Just had this note from Sheldon at Kuntry Kustom RV telling me about their new site for auctioneers to buy and sell used auction equipment, Toppers, trailers etc. Be sure to check it out at usedauctionequipment.com

Our priniciple business at Kuntry Kustom RV is to build auction trailers and auction truck toppers for the auction industry. This business has been successful because of our ability to build a trailer from frame up that is designed specifically for the auctioneer and his unique office needs. In the middle of our working to help auctioneers own new equipment, we were finding auctioneers who contacted us with used equipment to sell, while the next day of work would bring us calls from auctioneers who were looking for used equipment. After trying to connect these two parties together by phone calls or emails we found a better way to serve our customers by launching a web site dedicated to the auctioneer who would like an easy, affordable way to advertise and sell his current equipment, and to the auctioneer who may be new to the business or just doesn't feel like they are comfortable with the investment into new equipment.

The usedauctionequipment.com website is organized similarly to national auction websites. An auctioneer can log onto the site, write the description of what they would like to sell, and upload pictures. The purchaser can then make direct contact with the auctioneer if they have more questions on the listing. The site is limited to selling just the type of equipment an auctioneer would use in the operation of his business. There is a small fee of $85 to list on the site in order to cover the cost of the site development and maintanence. Our hope is that the site is a useful enough tool so that the auction industry can take full advantage of this potential to help the auctioneer grow his business.

From the Capital Press BlogBy Kevin DulingThere’s nothing quite like a good auction for used farm and ranch equipment. These auctions are known to bring farmers and ranchers together from across state and county lines. “Just where in the world did those folks come from?” is a phrase commonly used when attending such an auction.Realizing there is an art to picking up great “deals” at an auction is something I became aware of just out of college. Having a roommate who talked his sweet grandmother into giving him her prized moped so he could “get around the farm easier”, then selling it one week later for $100 made it clear to me what kind of people might have to be dealt with at auctions.After attending a few auctions, I understand clearly that an auctioneer’s job is to take a big piece of junk and market it in a way that you just can’t live without it. Since I am disciplined on my auction homework, I know I will never be talked into buying a big piece of junk.While listening to an auctioneer tell how this pile of rusted metal pipe was used to save lives during World War II and how the price of scrap steel would surely be at least $6 per pound by next spring, I noticed three men sitting on the hitches of some tillage equipment. I asked my roommate why these men were sitting like that. He stated that people will sit on the equipment they intend to purchase, therefore intimidating anyone else from bidding on it.I was curious how it could be considered intimidating to see a one-toothed man with a shirt sleeve missing sitting on an old springtooth with a flat tire. I guess I’ve been scared of lesser things. Perhaps I can use this trick just in case I find something I want to purchase someday.I remember a farm equipment auction that was very close to my home. I was excited about it because I knew the equipment. I live in a very remote area where most buyers would not want to travel.On the day of the auction it was 35 degrees with a very soaking rain/snow mix. This sale had the marks of being an epic auction because no one with a sane mind would stand out in that weather.Perhaps great minds think alike. Apparently every farmer and rancher in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho realized this could be an opportune auction and standing out in the 35 degree sleet was well worth the chance at getting a “deal”.After spending months doing homework on buying things at auctions, I figured this was the one to try my luck. I found it slightly unpleasant trying to sit on a high-lift jack for 4 hours. I remember thinking I heard the auctioneer talking about how the ear tags in a certain box of “stuff” being auctioned were the ear tags used on the cattle in the legendary John Wayne film “Big Jake”, but his voice was muffled due to my uncontrollable shivering.On the way home my roommate asked me if I had picked up any good deals. I was happy to announce that I had bought a slightly used high-lift jack for only $220. Apparently the other bidders found me fairly intimidating. I told him I wanted to buy those special ear tags, but they were priced way too high, even if they had been used in a Hollywood movie.After attending auctions off and on for the last 10 years I’ve learned some valuable lessons. Always put a limit on your spending, never trust a man who would sell his grandmother’s moped, and never, ever buy a steam cleaner that has the words “run good” written on the side of it.Kevin Duling is a wheat farmer and freelance writer from Maupin, Ore. Kevin’s stories will be posted every Friday on the Capital Press Blog. Comments are welcomed at kevinddu[...]

Auction uncovers unknown collection By David Kranz Argusleader.com Published: August 27, 2007 CORSICA - When hundreds of auction-goers drove up the quarter-mile dirt road just off 382nd Avenue to Jerald Wolbrink's farm northwest of Corsica late last month, they entered uncharted territory.Thick groves of trees shield the house where Wolbrink, 84, lived until recently with his sister Trena.It was July 28, and they had come to bid on the property of two "very private people." The sale came just one month after Jerald's death and his sister's move to Corsica.Some people knew what was in store. Others soon learned what secrets the house held. More than 430 bid numbers were issued, says a member of the auctioneers' staff.Jim Dunn of Harrison was one of those driving up the long driveway, past the trees and on to the property where a partially painted 115-year-old house stood out among other farm buildings."It was like Ichabod Crane in 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,' " Dunn said.Dunn, a disabled Vietnam veteran, has a passion for going to auctions in search of antique tractors, particularly International Harvesters. Even though he has slimmed down his collection a bit, he came to the Wolbrink auction in hopes of finding a few things.But this was a different kind of auction."I have been to hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of auctions before," Dunn said. "This has to rate in the top three."There were guns and more guns. Rifles, deer rifles, pistols, shotguns, guns still in original boxes. Ammunition was plentiful, enough to fill a hay rack. Pocket knives were just as plentiful, found everywhere in the house. Things kept showing up, making it a challenge for auctioneers. Antique tractors, about 30 of them, were parked around the farm property. Coin collections surfaced."To look at the house, you would wonder if it was an abandoned house," said auctioneer Alvin Timmerman of New Holland."It was unreal, old shells, stuff related to guns. I think there were about 120 guns, various kinds, including pistols, a lot of deer rifles, all kinds. Some of them were in new boxes. It was the most items we sold at auction in a day, 1,300 items."Auctioneer Ray Porter of Geddes will mark his 50th year in the profession next year. He said this auction was like no other he has ever seen."It was a lot different from the others because the stuff was so different, stuff from 100 years back, and there was a lot of interest, a lot of people, but there were also a lot of exaggerations," Porter said.Because of what they found, some people might have wondered if Wolbrink was arming himself, protecting his property - a case right out of a detective magazine."If you didn't know them, one would wonder if somebody was living here who was going to shoot you," Dunn said. "But this guy was harmless, a man of few words."Allen Vanden Hoek of Corsica, a nephew of the Wolbrinks, shed some light on what was going on."He was a collector. Didn't have any causes or anything like that, but he was an NRA member. He believed in his right to bear arms, liked to hunt deer and elk in the Black Hills," Vanden Hoek said.The guns were so important to Jerald Wolbrink that it required a family policy."They didn't go out much. Because they had all the guns, if one of them went to town, the other had to stay home and guard the guns. If there was a funeral in the family they would go to it, and one would have to hurry home to guard the guns," he said.Even Vanden Hoek was surprised by the quantity of things tucked away in various places on the farm."We didn't realize half the stuff he had stas[...]

(image) We have made some major upgrades to how you can search through the hundreds of auctions currently listed. We have increased the amount of words surrounding the search term in the results so that you can better see the context of the search term.

Also you can now put "parentheis" around a search phrase so that it will only find the exact combination you are looking for.This will save you some time finding the exact item that you are looking for.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 9, 2007FRANK’S ANTIQUES AND AUCTIONHILLIARD, FLSale August 17,18,19, 2007Frank’s Antiques and Auction will present a major collection of petroliana collectibles from a lifelong North Carolina collector on August 17,18,19HILLIARD, FL – Veteran Florida auctioneer Frank Speal, owner of Frank’s Antiques and Auction in Hilliard, Fl, will offer an inventory of major gas station collectibles from the thirty year collection of a dedicated North Carolina enthusiast. Speal has known of the collection for many years and the collector was a customer of Speal’s in his early auction career. Now that it is time to lighten up the load he asked Speal to handle the sale of his lifetime accomplishment. The collection has a heavy emphasis on items relating to Texaco stations and products and features gas pumps, globes, air pumps, oil cans, porcelain signs, Texaco airplanes and die cast trucks. The sale will also feature antique advertising, thermometers and hundreds of signs including a Lone Ranger Merita Bread sign, a Maury’s Paint sign and a 6½ ft diameter Texaco sign on an 18½ft tall stand. The 1,500 lot three day event will also feature a wide selection of country store items including a rare museum quality round ribbon and lace cabinet, circa 1872, a large spool cabinet and several glass front display cases plus tobacco cutters, some vintage cigar jars and a Tom’s Toasted Peanuts jar. Among the gas pumps featured in the sale is a Fry ten gallon visible pump, 30½in diameter by 110in tall, topped by a Texaco globe. A Fry five gallon visible pump, 28 ½ in diameter by 101in tall, carries a Gulf globe. Also included will be an Indian Gasoline enclosed pump from the 1930s and an Art Deco style bright orange Gulf pump from the 1940s as well as an analogue Texaco Sky Chief pump.More than fifty gasoline globes will cross the block including some rarely seen models from Rocor, American, White Flash, National White Rose, Derby, Hygrade, Kant-Nock, Hudson, Hornet, Dixie Oils and Crown as well as vintage globes for Standard, Essolene, Sinclair Power-X, Spur and Pure among many others. Gasoline and oil signs include a wide variety for Texaco products plus Wolf’s Head, Essolube, Pure Premium, Atlantic, Pennzoil and Quaker State plus many more. Oil containers include those from Sinclair Tenol, Skelly Tagolene, Ranger Motor Oil, Hi-torque, Red Indian, Transport, Thrift-Lube, Sinclair Palene and Super Galena.For a sale this large refreshment will be in order and a 300 lot Coca-Cola collection will be offered to serve up the "Pause That Refreshes." The collection includes 1927 and 1928 Soda Jerk trays along with many other style trays and a wide selection of clocks, thermometers, signs and picnic coolers. For a little entertainment to go with the refreshment, a completely restored 1946 Wurlitzer 1015 jukebox will find a new home and several vintage slot machines, including a 25 cent Watermelon and a Watling Blue Seal slot, will be available to help balance the budget. The sale will be held without reserves on August 17,18 and 19 in the Frank’s Auction facility located at 551625 US Hwy 1 in Hilliard, FL 32046. The Friday August 17 portion will begin at 4:00PM and the Saturday and Sunday sessions each begin at 10:00AM. Preview will be the week before the sale from 9:30AM-5:30PM Monday through Thursday, Friday at 10:00AM and Saturday and Sunday beginning at 8:00AM. For more information and to view the inventory and bid online visit the website at http://www.franksauctions.c[...]

Borrowed from the Inflection Point blogSOCIALISMYou have 2 cows. You give one to your neighbour.COMMUNISMYou have 2 cows. The State takes both and gives you some milk.FASCISMYou have 2 cows. The State takes both and sells you some milk.NAZISMYou have 2 cows. The State takes both and shoots you.BUREAUCRATISMYou have 2 cows. The State takes both, shoots one, milks the other, and then throws themilk away...TRADITIONAL CAPITALISMYou have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.SURREALISMYou have two giraffes. The government requires you to take harmonica lessonsAMERICAN CAPITALISMYou have two cows. You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. Later, you hire a consultant to analyse why the cow has dropped dead.ENRON VENTURE CAPITALISMYou have two cows. You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute adebt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows. The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island Company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to our listed company. The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more. You sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States, leaving you with nine cows. No balance sheet provided with the release. The public then buys your bull.THE ANDERSEN MODELYou have two cows. You shred them.FRENCH CAPITALISMYou have two cows. You go on strike, organise a riot, and block the roads, because you want three cows.JAPANESE CAPITALISMYou have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. You then create a clever cow cartoon image called 'Cowkimon' and market it worldwide.GERMAN CAPITALISMYou have two cows. You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.ITALIAN CAPITALISMYou have two cows, but you don't know where they are. You decide to have lunch.RUSSIAN CAPITALISMYou have two cows. You count them and learn you have five cows. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. You count them again and learn you have 2 cows. You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.SWISS CAPITALISMYou have 5000 cows. None of them belong to you. You charge the owners for storing them.CHINESE CAPITALISMYou have two cows. You have 300 people milking them. You claim that you have full employment, and high bovine productivity. You arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.INDIAN CAPITALISMYou have two cows. You worship them.BRITISH CAPITALISMYou have two cows. Both are mad.IRAQI CAPITALISMEveryone thinks you have lots of cows. You tell them that you have none. No-one believes you, so they bomb the **** out of you and invade yourcountry. You still have no cows, but at least now you are part of a Democracy....NEW ZEALAND CAPITALISMYou have two cows. The one on the left looks very attractive.AUSTRALIAN CAPITALISMYou have two cows. Business seems pretty good. You close the office and go for a few beers to celebrate[...]

Philip Weiss Auctions tops $1 million at June 9-10 sale [ Fri Jun 15 2007] Philip Weiss Auctions topped the $1 million mark in a two-day, three-session multi-estate sale held the weekend of June 9-10. Top lots included six original Charles Schulz “Peanuts” panels (totaling $193,230); two Lou Gehrig palm prints ($82,490 the pair); and an original oil painting by American artist Douglas Gorsline ($31,640). The sale grossed just about $1.1 million.“I had a good feeling about this auction,” said Philip Weiss, owner of the firm that bears his name. “We had some fabulous consignments, in a variety of categories. I predicted we might make $1 million, but when we actually hit it I think everybody here just felt jubilant. A lot of hard work went into making that number. Hard work, and wonderful items. It was a great way to end the season for us.”About 1,500 lots changed hands in a sale that had two sessions on Saturday – one starting at 10 am and one at 5 pm – and a third session that lasted all day Sunday. “It was exhausting but exhilarating,” Mr. Weiss said. He estimated about 300 people made it to the firm's spacious showroom facility. In addition, there were nearly 3,000 registered online bidders and about 200 phone bidders.Philip Weiss is a name nearly synonymous with Charles Schulz. It seems every sale boasts a few original “Peanuts” panels, and this auction was no exception. The star lot was a “Great Pumpkin” Sunday page from October 24, 1965, right before Halloween. It soared to $62,150. The comic featured Lucy and Linus writing to the “Great Pumpkin” and was even accompanied by a letter from Schulz.An original daily panel by Schulz, this one actually drawn on Halloween day (October 31, 1967) realized $32,770. The piece – measuring 28-1/2” x 7” -- showed Snoopy and Linus in the “Great Pumpkin” patch. Also, an original “Peanuts” Sunday page, dated May 3, 1959 and with a baseball theme – hammered for $31,640. The excellent 22-1/2” x 15” panel featured Lucy and Charlie Brown.The signed Lou Gehrig palm prints – one left and one right – came from the estate of Alice Denton Jennings, a palmist who took palm impressions of her famous clients, who later signed them. Her collection was so extensive it spanned several sales. The signed right palm print of Babe Ruth also sold, for $37,290. Another signed Ruth palm print sold for $26,000 at a Philip Weiss sale in January. Other highlights from the sale follow. All prices quoted include a 13% buyer's premium.A large oil-on-canvas painting by the American artist Douglas Gorsline (1913-1985) sailed past all estimates to gavel for a record price of $31,640. The previous record for a work by Gorsline was $2,800. The colorful, mid-20th century street scene depicted a nattily dressed couple. The unframed canvas – measuring 38” tall x 32” wide – even had a few scrapes and tears that didn't deter bidders.The original cover art for “Amazing Spider Man” # 92 (January 1971), by renowned comic book artist John Romita, sold for $30,500. The cover, featuring Spidey's nemesis “Iceman,” was hand-signed in ink by Romita along the left edge. The fresh-to-the-market piece contained all original paste-ups and had some in-line corrections, white-out marks and color notes. It measured 11-1/2” x 17-1/2”.A large abstract oil-on-canvas work by the Italian painter Mario Nigro (1917-1992), tit[...]